The last time YIMBY reported on progress at 66 Hudson Boulevard was back in September of 2016, when Tishman Speyer filed permits for the 64-story office giant, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group/BIG. Now, demolition has wrapped on the site’s former low-slung structures, which means work can officially begin on the spiraling supertall.

Suffice to say, the impending boom across the northern blocks of Hudson Yards could potentially be even more impressive than what’s occurring across the Eastern Railyards right now, where 15, 30, and 35 Hudson Yards are currently rising. At no other time in New York City’s history have so many office behemoths been under construction, one next to the other, at the heights and scopes of the Hudson Yards towers.

Bjarke Ingels’ design for the tower is characteristic for the architect, and takes the building a step beyond “standard” contemporary architecture. The exterior will feature “hanging gardens and cascading atria,” and the renderings paint a picture resembling a vertically-extruded take on the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia. With open space on every level, and an iconic appearance to boot, the tower is likely to be quite impressive from both inside and out.

Filings indicate a scope of 2.2 million square feet, however Tishman Speyer has previously said the tower will span 2.8 million square feet, which is about the same size as 30 and 50 Hudson Yards, in the two blocks to the south. The offices up above will be complemented by 27,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, ensuring the pedestrian realm sees improvements equal to those impending on the skyline.

While completion has tentatively been set for 2019, the current pace of construction is probably an indicator that 2020 is a likelier estimate. Though demolition has now wrapped, foundation work has yet to begin.

Follow the YIMBYgram for real-time photo updatesLike YIMBY on FacebookFollow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews

The ESB has been visually dominant since its opening in 1931. That part of Midtown never took off until recently. Tall and super talls are being erected closer and closer to the point the ESB will be blocked out just like its Art Deco brother and sister towers of lower Manhattan. Sad.